On Monday evening, the North Cougars jumped on the bus and headed south on Denton Tap as they looked to wrap up the regular season facing off with their crosstown rivals- the Wranglers from CMS West. And knowing it's never easy to take on an opponent in their home gym, North was prepared for the Wranglers' best effort.

With the A teams tipping off first, West wasted no time and started the game off shooting lights out. The Cougars conversely struggled to get going and quickly fell behind; even by as many as 21 points in the first half. But the Cougars dug in, didn't quit, showed a lot of grit, and brought the game back to only an 8 point deficit at the half. Knowing they had what it takes, North stayed focused and fired up in the second half; led once again by Mason Hotle with 22 points, 4 rebounds, 4 steals, and 3 assists... along with 10 points , 4 boards, 4 steals, 3 assists, and 2 blocks from Garrison Gamet and 9 points from Eli Smith. And as the game came down the the final minutes, North grabbed its first lead of the game, only to see the Wranglers jump back in front as they seesawed their way to the finish. Gaining control of the ball during the last minute with the score tied at 49, North held on looking to take the final shot and give them selves a chance to win. As the shot arched toward the hoop, the entire gym was holding their breath to see what would happen... but as the shot came up short, Garrison Gamet secured the rebound and flipped the ball back up and IN to secure the 51-49 WIN for North! It was a truly memorable game that will always stand as an example of not giving up and finishing what you started for the Cougars! And as if that wasn't exciting enough, North and West will face each other once again on Friday night in the first round of the district tournament. DON'T MISS IT!

Following that excitement, the B teams took the court ready to roll. Finding offense was once again tough for the Cougars, but they were led by 8 points from Emiliano Salas and 5 from Marco Ramos. North pushed through and continued to try and find a way to the hoop, but West proved to be too tough of a test on this night as the Wranglers held tight and posted a 35-16 victory to end their season.

And as both C squads jumped into the action, this game marked the final contest of the 24-25 regular season. The Cougars were looking to secure a winning record overall and had high hopes of taking down their rivals. But a very slow start found the Cougars struggling to get anything at all to drop in the first half; falling behind the Wranglers. A stronger effort in the second half gave North a chance to get back into the game, but the clock ran out before they could make up the difference... falling in defeat by a score of 20-9. On the night, North was led by Andrew McBryde with 2 points, 6 rebounds, and a steal.

On behalf of the North 7 grade teams, thank you to all of the families, friends, and staff who came out to cheer on these boys this season. In between the exciting highs to the disappointing lows, the experiences are what will be remembered. And hopefully everyone can join us in Colleyville to cheer the A team on to a district championship this weekend!


UP NEXT:
DISTRICT TOURNAMENT at Colleyville Middle School
*A TEAM vs. WEST MS on Friday, 1/31. 7:00 approximate start.
***With a WIN- A team will play 2 more games on Saturday morning starting at 9:00 am

Overall
A: 5-4
B: 2-4
C: 3-3